Airbus Beluga A300-600

The company Airbus is developing and manufacturing five new cargo airliners Airbus Beluga, designed to transport oversized cargo. The next generation of transport airliners will be based on the airbus A330-200 airframe with the retention of many existing components and equipment from the previous Airbus A300-600 model - a voluminous cargo compartment, a reclining aircraft control cabin with the addition of new modernized structures. Airbus is striving to create a new liner to meet the needs of the company's growing production in the transportation of overall fuselage parts of the assembled aircraft models.

The first aircraft to be ready for operation in the middle of 2019 years and gliders operating on the basis of Airbus A300-600 2025 will be used until the year.

The integration of the European countries in building a cargo ship

Cargo liner for transportation of oversized cargo Airbus A300-600 (Super Transporter) also called Beluga is based on the typical wide-bodied airframe Airbus A300. Airbus is a transatlantic company, its factories are located in several countries. The founders of the concern are companies from Germany, Spain, France and England. This consortium in the field of aircraft construction is the largest and most successful, it occupies a large part of the market for the production of civil aircraft. Details of the liners are produced in factories located in four countries and for assembly are transported to the main factories that perform the final assembly. For the prompt delivery of aircraft components, Beluga was created. The wings and chassis are manufactured in the UK, the tail and doors in Spain, the fuselage in Germany, the nose in France, and the final assembly is in the cities of Toulouse (France), Hamburg (Germany), and Seville (Spain).

Since the beginning of the project for the production of Airbus aircraft in 1970 year for the delivery of components used 4 liner Boeing Stratocruisers, but with the development and expansion of production capacity of aircraft used was not enough.

The company's management decided to 1991 year to create a company that would have developed a new cargo liner for transportation of oversized cargo. As a prototype was selected widebody twin-Airbus A300, which has been modified with the extension of the fuselage to 7.1 meters in diameter. For transportation of aggregates it has been changed the front part of the aircraft. The bow of the new design had been equipped with a special system allowing, tilt the cockpit when loading cargo, reinforced tail section to provide stability during flight.

The development of the program to create a new liner

Production liner was launched in 1992 year, and in September 1994, the first flight. After completing the flight test and certification, the liner Airbus A300-600 Beluga was put into operation in October 1995 years. 5 were built aircraft, which are intensively used for the transport of components built aircraft.

The volume of the cargo compartment is larger than that Beluga On-5 Galaxy and ANT-124, but inferior to the ANT-225. However, the weight of the cargo is significantly lower at 47 t, while C-5 Galaxy is capable of carrying 122.5 t, and Ant-124 150 tons. The cargo compartment F-300-600 adapted to transport components A380, who had previously delivered by sea and rail transport.

In November 2014 the administration of Airbus announced that it designed a new type of cargo liner (5 aircraft), created on the basis of A330-200, which is expected to enter into 2019 year.

Specifications liner Airbus A300-600 Beluga

Airplane Airbus A300-600ST and its technical features:
• Crew - 2 pilots;
• The volume of the cargo compartment is 1410 cubic meters. m;
• Carrying capacity - 47 t;
• Fuselage length - 56.15 m;
• Wingspan - 44.84 m;
• Hull height - 17.24 m;
• Wing area - 258.8 sq. m;
• Maximum takeoff weight - 155 tons;
• Engines - 2хGE СF6-80С2A8, turbofan;
• Fuselage diameter - 7.1 m;
• Flight range with a load of 40 tons - 2779 km;
• 26 t - 4632 km;
• Cruising speed 750 km / h.

Airbus A300-600 Beluga. Gallery. 

Airbus A300-600 Beluga. Video.

Airbus has high hopes for the new Airbus A330-200 model being developed, which will speed up the transportation of oversized cargo and increase the efficiency of transportation of aircraft components.